Original Cottages Star Grading
Our commitment to customer care has always been a priority and we are very proud to hold a long-standing VisitEngland and Visit Wales accreditation under the Quality Assured Agency Scheme. As part of these awards, we take great care when selecting properties to join our portfolio. Whether a property is small or simple, large or luxurious or a home from home, all our properties meet our stringent Minimum Entry Requirements (MER). Our in-house assessors work to strict criteria to ensure a fair and accurate star grading throughout our whole portfolio.
A quality score is awarded for every aspect of the property including the layout and design of the accommodation, the ease of use of all the appliances, the comfort of the beds, the range and quality of kitchen equipment and, most importantly, cleanliness. For very high scoring properties a Gold award may be given and in exceptional circumstances, a Platinum award may be made. The more stars awarded, the higher the quality and the greater the range of facilities and services provided. Properties are inspected annually to ensure that the grading meets the standards of our quality criteria.
We will from time to time change the criteria for our scheme to improve our guests experience. Such changes are not immediate, and our homeowners are allowed a grace period of twelve months from the date of their last property assessment to meet any new or revised criteria. We would advise that you check the individual property descriptions on the website for full details of the current provision of facilities at a property.
We hope that you find this useful in helping you choose the cottage that is right for you.
To help you understand the rating structure please read on…
Rating Structure
3 Star Award
The property will be well presented as above and offering a good to very good overall standard of quality with equipment and furnishings in a comfortable and good condition.
A good standard of maintenance and condition should be evident and bed linen provided with all beds made up on arrival.
4 Star Award
The property will be well presented as above and all bed spaces will be in bedrooms unless advertised as a studio.
Accommodation will offer a very good to excellent overall standard of quality with equipment and furnishings presented in a comfortable and very good condition, in full working order and well maintained. Bed linen and towels will be included in the cost of the holiday.
5 Star Award
The property will be presented as above and all bed spaces will be in bedrooms. Accommodation will offer a very good to excellent overall standard of quality. Equipment and furnishings will be of high standards in the overall fabric of the building, internally and externally, together with excellent standards of guest services.
Gold Awards
Is awarded to properties which achieve some of the highest percentages in 3 – 5 star ratings, recognising the level of standard, as well as having met all the minimum entry requirements.
Platinum Award
Given to a few outstanding 5 star properties - the highest accolade available and only awarded to those properties that meet exacting high standards.
The property would need to meet all 5 star Minimum entry requirements, the five additional features from the list above, plus 3 additional features from the following list:
Swimming pool - exclusive unrestricted use, wired-in sound system, cinema room/cinema system, small gym - exclusive unrestricted use, 50" plus UHD Smart TV or OLED TV, Media Package or a games room - well equipped and exclusive with unrestricted use.
Grading TBC
These are new properties that have committed to the grading scheme where grading has not yet taken place. They will have been visited by our own team and should you require information on the anticipated grading please do give us a call.
